And they're off! Competitors take off for the Transportation Alternatives' annual commuter race. DelMundo for News
For the fifth year in a row, cycling ruled the road in Transportation Alternatives' annual commuter race Thursday, with a biker beating a straphanger and a cabbie.
It took librarian Rachel Myers 20 minutes and 15 seconds to pedal 4.2 miles from Sunnyside, Queens, to Columbus Circle during the morning rush.
"Woo hoo!" the 29-year-old Brooklynite shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "Just goes to show that bikes rule this city!"
Subway rider Dan Hendrick - who hopped the No. 7 in Sunnyside and transferred to the No. 1 at Times Square - arrived 15 minutes later.
Hendrick, 38, usually rides the rails to work at the New York League of Conservation Voters, but he may be switching to pedal power.
"Twenty minutes saved is a lot in the morning," he said. "I could really use that time to get a latte or something."
A yellow cab rolled up to the finish line 27 minutes after Myers, costing passenger Willie Thompson $30 and precious commuting time.
"I always thought [cabs] were the fastest," said Thompson, 30, a nonprofit e-marketer from Flatbush, Brooklyn.
"But it was so slow, it was brutal. I'm exhausted from sitting so long!"
The bike, of course, is also the most environmentally friendly option with no carbon emissions, compared with 2pounds for the subway and 6pounds for the cab.
Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives reminded commuters that with more than 600 miles of bike paths in the city, cycling is more efficient than ever.
"I think there's no commodity more important to New Yorkers than their time," said Norvell. "And clearly, if you've got somewhere to be in a hurry, riding a bike is the way to go."
